


Xehanort’s Apprentice

by tayannscar



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: F/M, Sokai, Soranort - Freeform, sora-nort, xehanortpossessedsora
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-07
Updated: 2018-03-06
Packaged: 2019-03-28 03:28:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,568
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13895289
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tayannscar/pseuds/tayannscar
Summary: Sora has disappeared—what’s worse he’s not quite himself. Kairi and Riku take matters into their own hands soley, each falling apart with the downfall of their best friend. Kairi hopes to redeem him, and Riku wants to find a way to stop him before he brings complete darkness over the worlds.Can he be saved? Or will their trio end in a split duo?





	Xehanort’s Apprentice

**Redemption**

Words— 3,358

Genre—angst, Soranort/Xehanort-possessed Sora

( _Dedicated and inspired by[@chachacharlieco](https://tmblr.co/moPdlqJcq5-SA_3wOZuOEUA) on tumblr)_

* * *

 

“ _Pathetic_.”

Kairi buried her palms into the harsh sand and heaved herself up on her elbows. It hurt to hear such malice in a voice usually so lively. It branded her just as frequent as the sting of dirt underneath her flesh.

She urged herself back on her feet, her hand swiping the sand stuck to her cheek, away. She turned to face her opponent, taking her original fighting stance. The one she should have been in before she approached him— knees bent, keyblade tightly gripped at her right side, and eyes burning with resolve.  

Her target was shrouded beneath a black hood though she knew who hid within the shadow.

He was quiet now, his person pacing steadily as he observed her. His gaze noted every twitch of her muscles; every nervous tick of her body. He was beholding her similar to a predictor their prey. There was no mistaking his intentions.

The unease in the pit of her stomach became more prominent each second they remained that way. Every fiber in her being begged for her to reach for him, beg him to reconsider— to remember who _he_ was.

But she couldn’t.

In the back of her mind, she recalled the danger everyone kept reminding her of. Of the comrades he had targeted and defeated; the friends he had nearly destroyed. With these reasons in mind, she refused to condemn Sora. He wasn’t acting by choice, he was being forced; compelled by the piece of Xehanort inside of him.

When he drew his hood back, Kairi had to grip her keyblade firmly to keep herself together. She noted the bold jasper color of his irises as they met hers, an altercation denoting just how much control Sora had lost. The color reminded her of rust and its quality to ruin what used to be brilliant.

The disheveled spikes atop his head were lifeless; the shade of charred ash instead of his usual russet brown.

Each time she ran into him, she felt less and less light within him. Darkness would soon completely overtake him and render him dead.

During a time when his transition was just beginning, she sensed a change surrounding him. But it was not until his disappearance that she knew something was truly amiss.

In blaming themselves, her and Riku fell apart. At first, their motivation to save Sora held them together; it was the glue to the wedge between them. But that glue eventually wore down once she caught wind of Riku’s change of heart. It wasn’t that he wanted to be rid of his best friend, but that hope had been lost for him. Despite Riku’s encouraging words of hope, she could see sadness specked within his jade eyes.

It was up to her, now.

Sora’s pacing stilled and he exchanged a mischievous grin for a half smile.

Goosebumps rose atop her skin as he flashed her his teeth. She sensed not merely darkness from the being before her, but viciousness. Not even a sliver of light was detected.

As if he could read her thoughts, he cackled. Kairi gripped the hilt of her keyblade and shifted atop her feet nervously.

“Still want to play, princess?”

Princess. Of course. That’s what Xehanort saw her as. A bright light; a threat to their wishes for eternal darkness. She had no doubt Sora had been ordered to end her existence. She stepped into this battle with the perception she had found Sora. Now she realized she had walked into a setup.

She fought to hide her dismay, though with the grin Sora was still wearing, she supposed he saw through it.

Perhaps this was the real reason Riku warned her not to search for him. Maybe separating both of them was the master plan to extinguish them; taking them out one by one. It was a fitting agenda for someone like Xehanort— turning friends against one another to bend them to the will of his own making.

“I can almost see the wheels turning inside that pretty head of yours,” he smirked, shaking his head. “Guess you’re not as clueless as the Master makes you out to be.”

Was he reading her thoughts? Or did her facial expressions give her away that easily?

Sora’s keyblade materialized in his right hand. He raised it overhead and rested the base on his shoulder.

She had seen the blade once before. It had a scarlet handle with a raised metal resembling thorns wrapping around the hilt and down the base and shaft. The end of the blade had rounded teeth outlined in the same scarlet color. At the center of the blade rested a Gazing Eye. She had heard whispers from Mickey and Riku about the blade. It was said to be some byproduct of Xehanort’s.

Sora regarded her with a smirk, “lost your nerve?” He hummed, eyeing her mischievously.

“You wish!” She countered, positioning Destiny’s Embrace in front of her.

Sora chuckled and shook his head. He positioned his blade to his side, his knuckles shifting as his grip tightened and loosened.

“I’ll say this once: surrender and maybe I’ll spare your life.”

His offer fell on deaf ears, instead, the promise piqued her curiosity and made her heart race. Why spare her life? Did Xehanort ask him to hand her over? Did they plan to use her? Or perhaps some part of him remembered her? She hoped it was the better of the two options.

She quickly extinguished such notions, deciding if there was a chance she could reach him, it was best she didn’t lollygag.

Kyanite eyes met gleaming amber ones.

“It’s not me who’ll need sparing.” She stated.

A newfound confidence flowed through her veins— the kind only hope could inspire.

Sora narrowed his eyes and scoffed. As he did so, the atmosphere around them changed. A heaviness clung to her skin; to her body. The sun-kissed warmth was driven from around them and traded for frigid wind. The palm trees nearby shook and rustled, sending coconuts to the ground.

Kairi’s dark auburn hair was cast off her shoulders and whipped against the back of her neck. She turned her attention back to Sora to find his glare dead set on her.

She had struck a nerve.

In an instant, he flung himself at her. Kairi reacted in the nick of time, her blade deflecting him. Anger radiated from him, she could feel it’s fervor against the bare, chilled skin of her arms.

She grit her teeth; her muscles pulsating as she shoved herself back against him. Her gloves stuck to her clammy hands as she squeezed her blade tight. She knew her upper body strength would fail up against his own, so she was prepared when her footing slipped. Using his strength as an anchor, she tossed herself back and disconnected their blades.

As she suspected, he bolted for her once more. She blocked him again, this time successfully knocking him back with the right amount of force. She tried to go for his side, but he dodged and went for her shoulder. When he missed, she ducked. Metal sliced through the air above her head, queuing her timing. She shot up and tried an undercut to his chest, though he predicted it. Metal hit metal as they clashed.

“Not bad for a princess,” he hissed from between their interlocked blades.

She bit back a remark as she inspected him. His ashy spikes were unruly; his bangs damp with sweat; his breathing loud and staggered.

It had been a long time since they had been that close to one another.  

Kairi’s once triumphant confidence diminished as she examined the face of her best friend. She could see a couple incisions on his flesh— one on his temple, another under his jaw. She also took note of the deep lines and bags beneath his eyes.

He met her wary gaze and sneered, driving her back with an impressive thrust that left her on her back.

Kairi kicked herself for allowing her emotions to get in the way. She hoisted herself on her feet and rested her elbows on her knees.

She took in a shaky breath, one she quickly held in as something flittered in the corner of her eye. She snapped her attention to Sora to catch sight of a dark orb heading directly for her. She let out a grunt and raised her keyblade to impede it. The sphere broke into wispy tendrils of smoke that slowly dissipated.

She squint through the dark haze in search of him. She twisted and turned, studying her surroundings carefully as she squinted through the mist. It wasn’t until seconds before he hurled himself at her, that she spotted him.

Unprepared, she was knocked from her feet and tumbled over the harsh grains of sand.

Her back arched and her muscles moaned as she stilled. Her breathing was heavy and her eyes burned. She grunted in pain and cradled her left arm. She writhed against the ground for mere seconds with her eyes squeezed shut. She struggled to get a grip on the pain, but her rest was short lived.

Rustling was inches from her ear, bringing her eyes to snap open and find Sora looming above her. With a jeer stretched across his lips, he raised his blade over his head and brought it down on her in seconds.

She was just as fast.

Their blades connected with an ear piercing scream. The weight of him on top of her had her pinned with nowhere to move. Her blade sunk lower as he forced her arms farther down.

“Looks like you’ve met your end.“ He huffed between clenched teeth.

Her tendons trembled beneath the force of him. She could see he too was struggling, taking note of the subtle shake of his body as he leaned against her.

His gloved fingers touched her chin and she shook him off. On his second attempt he gripped her chin with such a power, it hurt.

"What is there to keep you going?”

Kairi’s eyes snapped open and his own bored right into hers. She grit her teeth and knit her brows.

He was trying to break her.

She knew what she was fighting for, but with her blade inches from her throat and his eyes staring at her like that, doubt was beginning to creep up her spine. What if Sora really was gone? What if Riku was right? And if she didn’t get through to him, where would she be?

She knew.

Her eyes met his jasper ones as he drew himself lower, his face dangerously close to hers. Despite her struggling, her breathing hitched. Did he notice?

Subtle, uneven huffs of his breath caressed her lips. She squirmed beneath him, though it didn’t make a difference. He was playing at distraction, she had no doubt. Sora was a pawn of the darkness now, of Xehanort. Everything he did he did to bring upon her demise. Even knowing this, Kairi’s body responded as if the dark-possessed man above her was her Sora.

“Sora’s dead.”

The whisper fell off his lips and onto her own, cutting the conflicting feelings she was battling seconds ago, in two. Her jaw stiffened and eyes burned. A foreign feeling washed over her as a blaze lit to life in her chest. The energy she had thought spent, now returned to her in a fury.

“No!” She yelled.

Kairi’s keyblade vanished and her gloved hands grabbed ahold of the ridges of his own blade. She pushed him up and launched herself out from under him.

She rolled over the ridges of the sand and pushed herself to her feet. She summoned her keyblade as she turned to face him. He pulled his keyblade from it’s mounted place in the dirt just as she struck him.

Her blade ripped a hole in the fabric of his cloak, and within seconds she observed the small scratch it left behind on his exposed skin that began to well with blood.

Guilt ripped a hole in her insides and threw off her concentration. His eyes met hers and he grinned, “that all you got?”

Kairi sucked in a gasp and held her keyblade across her body. The ground beneath her shook, shifting her focus from him.

Dark tendrils broke the surface of the ground around him, engulfing him. Kairi took a couple wobbly steps back, her brows raised and insides twisting as she watched the ball grow darker and darker.

What was happening to him?

The world around her thrashed. The once roughly blown palm trees were on the verge of being ripped at the root. Sand was being thrown at her from every direction and the once sunny sky was dull with clouds and lit with lighting.

Kairi fought to steady her footing against the gusts as the sphere reached the ground. She held her blade defensively in front of her; her body tense and ready for anything.

The shell around him dissipated quickly with the wind and she was left reunited with her attacker.

His cloak had been traded for a black shirt, covered by a matching vest that opened at the front. Dark cargo pants clung to his legs and silver chains hung from both pockets on either side. Long boots entrapped his legs, Velcro straps zig-zagging up the material. Long, black fingerless gloves were on both of his hands, a silver chain wrapping around his left wrist.

Kairi’s eyes trailed over him, catching sight of various scars, scratches, and bruises that littered his body. Beneath the hem of his sleeve, she spied even more marks.

Her knees quivered from beneath her and the stinging of her eyes intensified. Had they tortured him? Was that how they broke him?

She didn’t want answers. No, she didn’t need answers. She saw what the Organization had been capable of. She had no doubt Xehanort was much worse.    

Horrific scenarios crossed her mind, igniting goosebumps along her skin. He stomach twisted and she felt nauseous. Kairi struggled to fight against the emotions bubbling up in her chest as she stood before him.

Sora‘s keyblade reappeared in his hand and he flexed the fingers of his free hand. He cracked his neck, a smirk slithering across his lips as he regarded her.

“What’s the matter? Cold feet?”

That callousness; the disregard for the condition of his own body— it tore her up inside.

Tears brimmed the rims of her eyes and before she was aware of her actions, she was charging at him. She thought she heard him laugh. Maybe she looked pathetic? Maybe she was running to her death? Either way, she had to try. She couldn’t give up. Not on Sora.

She was on him in seconds. She let out a strained yell as their blades clashed for the umpteenth time. She forced him back and landed a hit to his ankle. She tried to ignore the blood-curdling cackle he released after the cut. Instead, she drew her attention to her next plan of action— immobilizing him.

Kairi dodge rolled out of the way as he tried to land an airstrike on her.  Once her feet hit the sand again, she drew her gaze to the thrashing waves mere feet from the land’s edge. Icy wind rushed over her, granting her with the perfect idea. It was a risk on both of their lives, though she was willing to take it.

She blocked another hit from Sora and veered for the paopu fruit tree’s trunk. She leaped over Sora’s keyblade and pivoted herself up. Once her laced sneakers touched the wood, she jumped. As gravity pushed its force against her, she felt the pressure of something much more painful. She yelped as the weight of pain befell her left calf.

Her focus was rendered split in the wake of a new dilemma. She accelerated through the air, her being headed straight for the dark, angry ocean. She winced as she descended towards the surface.

She could feel his eyes on her, beholding her every move. She could almost feel his satisfaction with the way he assumed things would turn out. He anticipated her submersion, but that was where she planned to turn the tides.

She was about ten feet above the water before she outstretched her hand and conjured an avalanche of ice. She could feel the force of such an outpouring, draining her, but if she wanted her plan to work, she had to create a thick slab.

Shards of ice and frost blocked her vision as she plummeted to her creation. Her eyes fluttered closed once she rendered herself powerless. Her body hit the ice with a thump and shook with pain as she rolled to her side with a cry. The cold kissed her exposed flesh and left her trembling.

Kairi slowly turned on to her stomach. She hissed through clenched teeth, her narrowed eyes looking over her work.

The waves licked the edges of her icy glacier and rocked her back and forth. With her task completed, she lost the strength to resist the cold’s bite as it chomped into her. She tucked her knees beneath her before she completely lost them to numbness. She wrapped her arms around her frame and fought to keep herself from falling back down.

An icy fog hung around her, blocking her view of the island. Despite her inability to see, she wasn’t worried. Sora would come to her, she was sure of it.

As if on cue, she heard the sound of ice crunching somewhere in front of her. She lifted her gaze towards the noise to see his silhouette through the mist.

“You were foolish to come here alone. It’s pathetic watching you fight when you only continue to fail,” he muttered harshly.

She hissed against the cold, her teeth chattering.

“I’m surprised Riku let you out of his sight, considering how much effort he put into saving you three years ago.”

Kairi remained silent, despite his reveal of their past. Her body’s shakes grew more violent, enabling her to speak.

She heard him scoff; his footsteps drawing nearer to her. “He was supposed to keep you safe, wasn’t he?” Despite his snarky tone, there was a hint of anger in his voice.

Was it Sora asking about Riku? Or Xehanort?

Kairi struggled to lift her right arm, but after a few seconds, she managed to. Her keyblade reappeared in her hand. She squeezed the hilt with what little strength she had left and used the blade to help her stand straight.

“I should put you out of your misery.” He laughed, though stopped short. “But what’s the fun in that?”

What sliver she thought she had seen of Sora was quickly gone, and she was determined to get it back. Kairi pushed the tip of her keyblade into the ice. Using what was left to offer of her trembling body, she slammed her blade completely through the ice.

A ghost of a smile trailed her chapped lips and Sora knitted his brows an instant before they raised with realization. Before he could make a plan at an escape, the ice shattered from beneath them, submerging them into the dark, cold ocean.

Water clung to her trembling frame and offered more warmth than her makeshift iceberg had. Her hair settled around her and blocked her vision. She swiped at her locks and squinted through the dark ocean surrounding her.

She spot his shadow mere feet from her. His hair pooled around the profile of his face and his attention was set on the surface.

Kairi acted quickly, lifting her arms above her, she propelled herself forward. Her keyblade materialized in her hand as she neared the back of him.

She didn’t waste time slinging her blade over his shoulder and pinning him against her. With her keyblade resting on his neck, she grabbed the tip of her blade with her free hand and trapped him there.

He attempted to ram himself into her, though he was unsuccessful, instead, he tried to push the barrier off of him. When that didn’t work, he dug his elbows into her rib cage. Kairi winced with each blow, though endured it with more tolerance than she anticipated.

It wasn’t much longer until his movements slowed and eventually stilled. With the pressure on her lungs growing and his limp body in her arms, Kairi swam for the surface.

Once the cool air touched her face, she gasped so hard she almost choked. Rough waves sloshed over her and dumped salty water into her open mouth. Her head sunk back underneath and bobbed back above.

Salt burned her lungs and she gasped so hard she could taste bile in her throat. She twisted herself backward and pulled Sora atop her chest. His head hit her collarbone, a dull ache settling in, though she ignored it. Her sole focus— keeping him afloat and breathing.

Once she felt the ocean floor underneath her feet, desperation set in. Her legs ached and her body fought for relief. Her movements slowed and her eyelids grew heavy, jeopardizing her balance. The vague sound of the rowdy tide heading for her was the last sound she heard before she slipped out of consciousness and beneath the waves. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! I’m still a little rusty, but I’m fighting to get back into my original groove. Please feel free to leave any feedback!


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